Internal Sustainability Programs Good for the environment and the bottom line.

• Author: Orr, Vanessa
• Position: ENVIRONMENTAL

As companies look for ways to become better environmental stewards, many consider developing internal sustainability programs that allow them to set sustainability goals, create a plan of action, and measure the success of their efforts. With buy-in from employees and a willingness to create partnerships and recruit outside expertise when needed, it is possible to not only improve an organization's environmental footprint but its bottom line as well.

"If your shareholders and stakeholders aren't winning and you can't make a profit, then that's not sustainable," says Lisa Peterson, owner of Aftan Engineering, a Pennsylvania-based consulting firm.

Peterson explains, 'When a client calls me and says, 'We want to do something in the sustainability space,' my question to them is, why"? Is it based on your shareholders? Is it based on your customer"? Or is it based on your community perception?" The answers range from the personal values of a small business owner to a global corporation's need to abide by international standards.

Pioneering Sustainable Technology

Alaska Airlines has been at the forefront of efforts to improve sustainability for more than two decades, and the company takes this commitment very seriously-so much so, in fact, that in January 2020, it rolled out a five-year plan to become the most fuel-efficient US airline and to cut emissions on all ground support equipment by half.

"We've always been proud to be a green airline; sustainability is part of our DNA, and it's probably in no small part due to the fact that we operate in the most pristine place in the world," says Pasha Saleh. head of corporate development. "We want to take care of the places where we fly."

Alaska Airlines was one of the first airlines to work with sustainable airline fuels, and a grassroots effort by airline employees established an in-flight recycling program in the early 2000s. "That group, known as the Green Team, preceded our sustainability team," says Tim Thompson, external affairs manager.

Twenty-five years ago. Alaska Airlines pioneered Required Navigation Performance (RNP), a method of air navigation that was designed to provide planes with a safer approach through Juneau's mountainous terrain.

"in addition to dramatically improving safety, an added benefit of RNP is that it helped us establish the most efficient path between A and B. resulting in fewer track miles, fewer emissions, and shorter flight times," says Saleh, comparing it to a car's GPS system. "It was developed by one of our pilots who was also an aerospace engineer, and though we were the...